Sepsis Fact Sheet

Definition

Sepsis is the body’s extreme reaction to infection. The body attacks its own organs and tissues which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

Symptoms

Signs of sepsis include:

Rapid breathing and fast heartbeat

Pale or mottled skin

Confusion or sleepiness

Fever and chills

Feeling the sickest you’ve ever felt

Extreme pain

If you detect even a few of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately and ask, “could it be sepsis”

Causes

Sepsis results from any kind of infection, most commonly from a bacterial infection. Cuts and scrapes, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and post-operative infections can all lead to sepsis.

Prevention

The risk of developing sepsis can be reduced by practicing good hygiene, including washing hands regularly, caring for even minor cuts and scrapes using basic first aid techniques (especially keeping wounds clean), and by staying up to date on vaccinations.

Treatment

Early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis significantly boosts one’s chances of survival. Sepsis is treated with antibiotics and IV fluids. In most cases, broad spectrum antibiotics will be administered. Once blood tests have been performed, antibiotics that target the particular strain of bacterium responsible for the infection may be used.

Who’s At Risk

Sepsis can impact anyone – young or old, sick or healthy. Those with increased risk of infection include:

People with chronic illness such as diabetes

Those with weakened immune systems

The elderly

Very young children

Surviving Sepsis

While some survivors of sepsis make a full recovery, others suffer long term consequences, including amputated limbs, organ dysfunction such as kidney damage, chronic fatiguef, cognitive disorders and memory loss, and depression.

Sepsis in the United States

More than 1.5 million people in the United States develop sepsis each year. [1]

At least 250,000 people in the United States die each year from sepsis. [2]

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals. [3] As many of half of all patients who die in U.S. hospitals have sepsis. [4]

Sepsis is increasing at a rate of 10.3% each year in the United States. [5]

One in five severe sepsis patients are readmitted to hospital within 30 days. Among those readmitted within 30 days, 66.9% had an infection and 40.3% had severe sepsis on readmission. [6]